Bark-removing process.



A. R. WILKINSON. BARK REMOVING PROCESS.

APPLICATION FILED I'EB.15, 1909. 966 503 Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

ALBERT R. WILKINSON, F LEBANOiN, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

. BARK-REMOVING PROCESS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT R. WILKIN- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lebanon, in the county of Grafton and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bark- Removing Processes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process in the art of making wood pulp. I

In the accompanying-drawings, Figure 1 shows a fragmentary top view and Fig. 2 an end view of -a machine employed in carrying out my process.

In the manufacture of wood pulp, it' is quite desirable that in removing the bark which forms a by-product, as little of the wood fiber be removed as possible. Spruce timber is almost exclusively used in the manufacture of wood pulp, and as spruce logs are almost universally of irregular shape in cross section, as are most logs, it is a problem of no little importance to remove the bark with as little fiberas possible.

In my process, I yieldingly hold, rotate and advance, within a suitable casing, the

log to be treated. While being yieldingly held, and advanced, I subject the log to a cutting action, so that the bark is provided with a narrow incision which transversely enters the bark. At the same time the log is advanced so that the bark is 'ven a spiral incision. Simultaneously I suject the log to a second cutting action, in that I incise the log by means of a transversely or obliquely entering incision, which as the 10 advances, is also in the form of a spira. The two incisions are thus within the bark in the form of a right-angle, though the two incisions do not meet, but extend sufficiently deep to break the more brittle bark. At the same time that the bark is being incised or rossed, I subject the same tothe action of a fluid, such as water or steam, under a high pressure, so that the fluid strikes the incised bark'with an impact sufficient to force away the bark. The fiber being stringy and stronger is able to withstand the shock of the fluid pressure, so that the bark alone is removed. By means of my process a large amount of wood is saved, while the bark iseffectively removed from the-log.

Itis of course understood that logs other Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 15, 19.09.

& Patented Aug. 9, 1910. Serial No. 477,917.

than spruce, may be treated, to free them of bark.

In the accompanying drawings, I show a machine employed in carrying out my process, and in which the numeral 10 designates a suitable base upon which there is mounted a case web frame 1.1 of preferably semicircular form. The frame 11 is forked as at 13 and carries at each upper end the arms 14 which are hingedat 15 and which form a continuation of the frame 11. In the upper ends of the arms 14 are journaled cutter rolls '21 which are adapted to be raised as occasion requires as hereinafter described. The rolls 21 comprise spindles 22 carrying integrally formed conical sections 23 and having pluralit-ies of longitudinally disposed or cutting ridges 24' formed upon their peripheries. The opposite ends of the spindles 22 support the members 26. spindles 22 are the cutters 31, which have a plurality of transverse blades 32 formed upon their peripheries which when placed upon the spindles 22 have the same position as the longitudinal blades 24. Cutters 33 are 'also provided for the rolls 21 which Held upon thediffer from the cutters 31 in so much as the cutting edge 34 is peripheral and not disposed transversely upon the cutters. The cutters 31 and 33 are alternately slipped upon the spindles 22 and are held in position by the members 26. Mounted upon the outer end of the spindles 22 is a pinion 35 meshing with a gear 36 which rotates said roll 21. Two of the rolls 21 are mounted in the ends of arms 14 while a third roll 21 ismounted in a journal 37 which is carried upon the upper face of the beam 12 directly beneath the journal end of the arm 14.

. A plurality of guiding and cutting disks 38 are separately carried in pivotally mounted journals 39 carrying a series of back wardly extending arms 40. The ends of the arms 40 travel on a runway 42. An operating lever 43 is pivoted to the arms 40 at their outer ends at equidistant points, which arrangement disposes said arms 40 in parallel. The journals 39 have downwardly extending spindles which are rotatably mounted in vertical bearings 46. Toward the for-.

tion of the disks 38.

. lanes for the purpose of regulating the eed of the log when passing between the rolls 21. A plurality of concave rollers 46 are horizontally mounted at the entrance of the machine over which the logs are passed as thev are fed to the reduced ends of the rolls 21 and feed regulating disks 38. These rollers 46 are mounted upon shafts 47 carrying gears 48 which mesh with ars 49 carried by the power shaft 50. The Igear oth 36 is secured to the driving shaft 60. shafts'50 and 60. are driven by means of main shaft 65'. I

For the purpose of'removing thebark when it is loosened from the log a, jet of water is employed. The water enters the machine through the pipe 63 and outof the nozzle 64 under a heavy pressure.

The whole apparatus is inclosed in a metallic casing 65 which is enlarged at one end as at 66 adapted to'confine the water as 1t passes over the log and conveys the refuse out of the-opposite end of the machine.

In operatlon, logs are introduced into the machine over the, rollers 46 and are fed to the taperlng ends of the rolls 21. The log being engaged by the rolls is given a rotary motion and is drawn through the rollers by ac- The disks 38 are turned into a plane at an acute angle to the axis of .the log and thereby a screw feeding action operates the longitudinal movement of the log. The rolls being in operation the log is cut transversely and also longitudinally chopping the bark into small fragments? Water is then admitted to the machine under a heavy pressure which is governed by the adhering qualities of the barks of various woods, when the small fragments of bark will be forced from the wood and carried off from the machine.- If a log of larger than usual diameter is to be passed through the machine then the rolls 21 are raised which act enlarges the space between the rolls for'the, admission of the log. By

changing the le of the disks 38 b the lever 43 the spefi of the log is change as it passes through the rolls.

Havin thus described my said invention, what I of im as new and desire to obtain by' United States Letters Patent is:

'1. A step in the process of making wood pul which consists in comminuting the bark, while subjecting the log to fluid action under pressure. p i 2. A ste in the process of ma .wood pulp, which consists in yieldingly ho ding a log and comminuting the bark while subjecting the log to fluid action under pressure. 1

3. A step in the process of making wood pulp, which consists in yieldingly holding, advancing and rotating a log, and comminuting the bark and subjecting thelog to the action of a fluid under pressure. l

4. A step in the process of making wood pulp, which consists in yieldingly holding, advancing and rotating a log, and simultaneously subjecting the log to a spiral transverse cutting action and a spiral oblique 7 cuttin action.- 5. T e. process of removing bark from a log, which consists ,in yieldingly rotating and advancing the 'log, simultaneously giving the log atransverse spiral and o que 7 s iral incision, and subjecting the log to a uid under. pressure, during thecutting action.

- 6. The process of removin bark from a log, which consists in circum erentially cut- 3 ting the bark in spaced lines, and chopping the bark between the cuts, and subjecting the cut and chopped portions of the bark to the actionof fluid under pressure.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, 3 in presence of two witnesses. ALBERT R. WILKINSON.

Witnesses:

ERENA W. GATES,

M. D.'O0BI.EIGH.- 

